welcome to nhk world "newsline." egypt security authorities are on high alert in cairo after fatal clashes between islamist supporters and opponents of president mohamed morsi over a new draft constitution for the country. state-run media say five people were killed and more than 600 injured. the two sides threw fire bombs and rocks at each other near the presidential palace on wednesday. secular forces and young people are protesting morsi's plan to hold a referendum on the draft on december 15th, saying it has not been properly debated.

>> translator: we won't let them hold a referendum. we'll protest at the presidential palace, tahrir square, everywhere. and we won't let it happen. >> the president's supporters have been holding a sit-in around the palace, where troops and tanks have been deployed. >> translator: we are determined to protect the president we elected democratically. >> president morsi says he has not changed his plans for the referendum, but many fear the violence will spread. at least 327 people are confirmed dead after typhoon bopha struck the philippines earlier this week. 250,000 people are living in shelters. many have yet to receive any assistance from the authorities.

nhk world's charmaine deogracias reports. >> reporter: typhoon bopha passed the philippines islands on tuesday. heavy rains caused floods and an mud slides in compostela valley in the eastern part of the island. the category 5 typhoon toppled trees, knocked down power lines, and bursted river banks that carried these boulders, burying homes and families that may account for the hundreds still missing. emergency services say 327 people have died and 380 more are missing. a quarter of a million people have been forced from their homes. >> translator: the people were shocked because it happened so fast. >> reporter: 90 people died in new bataan in compostela valley. on thursday, military personnel struggled to rescue people

stranded in damaged homes. at an evacuation shelter in the central part of the town, 3,000 people waited in line for the arrival of emergency supplies such as food and clothing. >> translator: i've lost all my furniture and money. i don't know how i'm supposed to live. >> reporter: the philippine government is trying to distribute goods and dispatch medical staff to the affected areas. but destroyed roads and bridges are hampering relief operations. gas stations have been damaged, and there's a shortage of fuel. mindanao was hit by another typhoon just a year ago, leaving 1,200 people dead. with another disaster so soon, people are questioning the government's preparedness. president beanything know aquino

issued a wning a day before the typhoon struck and told people to be prepared. but it wasn't enough to prevent extensive damage. local people are worried and frustrated. charmaine deogracias, nhk world, new bataan, philippines. authorities in thailand have charged the former prime minister in connection to the deaths of civilians during a military crackdown against anti-government protesters in 2010. the department of special investigation on thursday issued charges against abhisit and the former deputy prime minister. trial proceedings are expected to start as soon as mid-december. the charges date back to 2010, when groups supporting former

prime minister thaksin shin chin watt clashed with security forces. 90 people were killed and more than 1,900 were injured. officials alleged that abhisit and his deputy prime minister were aware the use of firearms by security forces could cause civilian casualties. authorities in north korea are pressing ahead with their plans to launch what they call a rocket. south korean government officials say their neighbors are sending up a missile. they say it has a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, capable of reaching the u.s. west coast. experts used data from previous launches to make their estimate. they say a missile launched in 2009 had a range of almost 7,000 kilometers. north korean officials tried again in april. that one exploded shortly after takeoff. but the first booster burned 18 seconds longer than those used in previous attempts. the experts believe engineers may have succeeded in reducing the size of a nuclear warhead.

south korean officials say workers have completed assembly of the three-stage missile. they say once the crew injects the fuel, it would be ready to go. authorities in pyongyang say they'll launch between the 10th and 22nd of this month. they say they're sending a satellite into orbit, but leaders of japan and other countries believe the north koreans are carrying out a test of a long-range ballistic missile. south korean foreign minister kim sung-hwan has criticized north korea for spending more than $500 million on missile development. kim told a parliamentary committee that north korea is believed to have spent $400 million to build a tongchang-ri launch site and another $150 million for a missile plant outside pyongyang. unification minister uwi said the north has scheduled its next launch around the anniversary of death of kim jong-il to enhance the authority of his son and

successor kim jong-un. he said the north is also working to improve reliability of its missile technology. in afghanistan, nato foreign ministers have pledged to extend financial assistance to the war-torn country after international combat troops withdraw at the end of 2014. nato foreign ministers wrapped up a meeting in brussels on wednesday. representatives of 52 countries discussed measures to support the afghan military and police. those two services will be responsible for afghanistan's security after international troops leave. the alliance confirmed it would continue to provide financial aid worth $4.1 billion per year to fund training and equipment for local security forces. some observers have questioned giving such a large amount of money to a government that has been widely criticized for corruption. nato's secretary-general says tackling corruption is on the

agenda. >> i have discussed the issue on several occasions with president karzai, and he and i agree that it must be given the very highest priority to fight corruption. >> afghan foreign ministry spokesman told reports the financial support benefit security not only in afghanistan but also the entire region. chinese government economists say they expect their economy will grow this year by less than 8%. it would be the first time in 13 years it's dropped below that mark. the government targeted growth of 7.5%. a representative of the chinese academy of social sciences said the economy will grow 7.7%.

>> translator: china's exports are slowing because of the european debt crisis and the global economic slow down. >> li said economy bottomed out in the july through september quarter. the country's consumption and industrial output improved in september and october. he predicts growth will rebound next year to about 8.2%. he said increased public investment and more monetary easing would spur the economy. but li called for flexible government policies if the situation in europe gets worse. the new leader of the chooeds communist party is sending out mixed signals. xi jinping says he wants to pursue a peaceful foreign policy. at the same time, china is locked in territorial disputes with japan and several southeast asian nations over islands in the east and south china seas. xi told a group of foreign academics in beijing that china poses neither a challenge nor a

threat. >> translator: looking at china's history, cultural traditions, and current conditions, china will never adopt a policy of dominance or expansionism. our prosperity will bring peace and will benefit the rest of the world. >> analysts say xi hopes to ease concerns that china's new leadership intends to adopt a more hard-line stance in diplomacy. however, on the same day, he told a senior military commander to strengthen missile units for possible conflict. xi has pledged to tackle corruption among party officials. he and the rest of the new leadership are reportedly planning to overhaul the structure of government. government sources say the leaders plan to cut one in three ministries from 27 to 18. they're planning to do away with a railways ministry and transfer its functions to the communications ministry. critics say poor oversight led to the crash last year of a high-speed train. 40 people were killed. and the former head of the railways ministry was dismissed

in a bribery scandal. officials in the agriculture ministry will take over the responsibility of the water resources ministry, and those in the culture ministry will take on the duties of three other departments. analysts say xi could be trying to reduce the powers of senior civil servants to defuse public frustration. but history suggests it may not be easy. premiere wen jiabao had a similar plan five years ago, but conservatives prevented him from carrying it out. populous, prosperous, pushing ahead. china's rise for wealth, power, and problems. an income gap divides its people. pollution threatens their health. and disputed seas strain regulars with its neighbors. find out the challenges china faces on "newsline." as the governments of japan and china feud over the senkaku islands, some japanese are caught in the middle. they were raised by chinese on

the mainland after their japanese parents fled at the end of world war ii. with strong ties to the peoples of both countries, they have a lot at stake if the two nations go to war. nhk world's tomo coe yamaguchi has the report. >> reporter: people in the city of nara mark the 40th anniversary of normalizing diplomatic ties between japan and watanabe moved to china with his parents many years before the normalizati normalization, but at the end of world war ii they became separated so, he remained in the city where he lived for about 50 years. a chinese couple adopted and raised the japanese youngster. as an adult, he worked for a railway company and eventually became station master.

>> translator: i couldn't have survived after the war if my foster parents had not taken me in and given me such good care. they were so kind. >> reporter: but watanabe never flew back to japan. looking at a picture of mt. fuji always pulled at his heart strings. before he moved to china, he could see it from his house. so pictures of mountains always stirred memories of home. finally he was able to set foot on the land of his birth. in 1988, watanabe visited japan with orphans displaced by the war. he hoped to reunite with his family. but with so little information about his parents, watanabe couldn't find them. even so, he chose to return to japan for good. he and his chinese wife decided

to live in nara prefecture, where his guarantor lived. watanabe was 53 at the time. but settling into japan was not easy. watanabe couldn't get a job. employers found him too old, so he and his wife lived frugally on welfare. learning japanese has been another struggle. even today he will struggle retaining the language. >> translator: i find it difficult to remember what i've learned. there are still so many words that i still have a hard time understanding. >> reporter: but if life gets him down, he can turn to someone for help. shigiaki inouye makes it his job

to help orphans displaced by the war. 24 years ago, he became watanabe's guarantor, and to this very day, he's still there for watanabe. >> translator: i call him father. >> translator: i want to help him. he's like a son to me. >> reporter: inoue drops in with the watanabes for a meal. inoue used to live in northeastern china, so he empathizes with people like watanabe. >> translator: he always stood by us, and he never stopped supporting us. i feel so grateful to him. ♪ >> reporter: throughout watanabe's life, caring people have watched out for him in both china and japan. >> translator: i am a victim of war.

i became an orphan in china because of it, so i despise wars. as feelings harden between japan and china over the senkaku islands, i'm afraid the two countries will go to war, but nothing is more important than maintaining peace. >> reporter: watanabe has two homelands, japan and china, so desperately he hopes no blood will be spilled between the two peoples. tomoko yamaguchi, nhk world, nara. a report sponsored by the u.s. government says shipping surplus shale gas overseas will benefit the country's economy. this could fave way for getting government permission to export the commodity.

the u.s. energy department released the report on wednesday. it says the export of shale gas and other natural gas products would raise energy prices but would help the economy overall. the government is now ready to examine whether to give the go-ahead to export projects. a number of energy firms hope to export natural gas as the surge in shale gas output pushes domestic gas prices sharply lower. the export plans include business with japan's electric and gas utilities. japanese energy firms have had to increase their use of thermal power plants since the nuclear accident and are keen to buy cheaper u.s. gas. officials at japan's transport ministry have ordered airlines to inspect boeing passenger jets. they say state-of-the-art 787 dreamliners have had problems with their fuel lines. the emergency order followed a fuel leak in october involving a 787 flown by all nippon airways.

workers at boeing found that fuel line connectors designed to prevent leaks were not installed on that plane. officials at all nippon airways and japan airlines say they were notified of the problem by boeing last month. they say they've already conducted inspections and found the defect on seven other dreamliners. they say the defects are all been repaired. the 787 made its international debut on regular routes in japan in november last year. officials at nissan motor say they're recalling nearly half a million cars. the vehicles may have a problem with their brake lights. the recall covers more than 490,000 nissan marches made in japan between the years 2002 and 2009. also about 1,500 of the micra c+cs manufactured in britain in 2007 are being recalled. all these cars were sold in japan. officials with the transport ministry say a wiring problem may cause the brake lights and

reverse lights to fail. executives at kansai electric power company are at work on a restructuring plan. they've made a proposal for bonus and salary cuts to the union representing the company's workers. the restructuring plan would put in place after kepco executives sought government approval to charge higher electricity rates. they say the suspension of nuclear power plants is forcing them to raise prices. officials have proposed to cut workers' salaries by an average of 16%. they want to cut base wages by about 5% and to cancel summer bonuses next year. the proposal would also require the company to shut down some of its vacation facilities and corporate gymnasiums. kepco officials are looking to slash $1.9 billion in costs annually for three years starting next april. a government panel assessing the request for the rate increases

will check the progress of restructuring efforts. the commander of u.s. forces in japan says the osprey transport aircraft deployed in the southern prefecture of okinawa are now ready for full operation. but the aircraft's poor safety record has local citizens concerned. >> we've been flying safely now for two months, and i'm very proud of the marines that have been flying those airplanes. so all 12 airplanes are fully operational. >> lieutenant general salvatore angelella added that the u.s. military is ready to conduct flights at any time under an agreement with japan. the tilt-rotor aircraft arrived at the u.s. marine corps futenma air station in october. u.s. troops sfa s stationed ata have since been conducting training flights there and elsewhere in okinawa. a highway operator in the tokyo area has discovered a potential maintenance problem in one of its road tunnels near haneda airport. inspections by the metropolitan

expressway company found one of the large rods used to hold up the tunnel ceiling was broken. the emergency check comes three days after an expressway ceiling collapsed in yamanashi prefecture in tokyo killing nine people. the company said it had not been changed since it was installed in 1964, adding that no problems were found in previous inspections conducted every five years. it says it has now fixed the creeling where the broken rod had been found using wires. it plans to get rid of the ceilings entirely by the end of this year. famed brazilian architect oscar niemeyer, who designed his country's capital city as well as some of the world's most distinctive buildings, is dead at 104. niemeyer was born in brazil in 1907. he began his career in the 1930s after graduating from a local university. he was one of the architects that designed the u.n. headquarters in new york, a project that began in 1947.

in 1956, niemeyer created a series of landmark structures for brazil's new capital city of brasilia. these include the national congress, the presidential palace, the cathedral, and the contemporary art museum. the entire city of brasilia was later designated a unesco world heritage site. niemeyer was noted for his inventive curving designs. the architect continued working until his 100th birthday. he succumbed to a lung infection at a hospital in his home city of rio de janeiro on wednesday. typhoon bopha is now moving off the philippines. meteorologist robert speta has been following the storm. robert, tell us the latest. well, right now the storm is out over the south china sea, so good news here. the center of circulation continuing to meander off here towards the west, and it does look like it's going to be remaining in place.

and actual through intensity in the long range may just be very well winding down out over the open ocean here so, very good news as far as that. but still some moise inflow across northern luzon is going to be creating heavy rain showers for you, a risk of flooding off to north. but good news farther down towards the south into mindanao, you're seeing some much fairer weather despite the fact that the storm system did push over here over the last several days, going into your tuesday. it made landfall through the early morning hours right here along the eastern coast of mindanao. that's where you've been seeing that widespread destruction, several towns completely decimated out here. so at least now you're still going to see some afternoon rain showers pop up, but nothing compared to the flooding that you have been seeing the last several days. let's switch gears, though, and take a look off here towards the north into japan, because winter weather is affecting you off here. hokkaido, 30 to 60 centimeters expected in the next 24 hours. you've also been seeing some very gusty winds pushing across

the sea of japan and along the coastlines here. i want to show you video coming out of northern japan here. you actually saw a wind report of 122 kilometers per hour causing the damage you can see in this video several buildings destroyed, power lines down, causing power outages in the area. and up and down the coastlines of japan here, you have been seeing these continued gusty winds. actually, take a look off here towards the north, hokkaido, 124 kilometers per hour, just north of there getting to 129. as we look into western japan, you're still seeing winds gusting up over 100 kilometers per hour. good news going into your friday, winds will decrease but you could see significant damaging gusts. snowfall up to 30 centimeters along the western coast of honshu as cold air continues to spill in from the north. even toward seoul, you could see about a centimeter of snow due to a sfrat storm system coming in here from the west.

temperatures in beijing not even getting to the freezing point there, minus 1 for your high, ulan bator, minus 25 for you. very cold, indeed. even into tokyo, mild here on your december, 10 for your high on your friday. let's take a look over towards the americas where a frontal area is pushing across the western great lakes here, continuing to push towards the east. this is bringing some snowfall for you, as well, southern ontario, a mix of rain and snow. some freezing rain is going to be on tap for you as this continues to push off to the east. and south of the freezing line, though, you're seeing some rain showers moving across portions of the ohio river valley and eventually off towards the east. but as we look into the gulf coast, things remain nice for you, houston with a high of 34, oklahoma city, high tler, and 19 in los angeles with a high of 20. now, as we take a look over towards europe, several low-pressure systems continue to move in across the west here. this is bringing some snow showers for the most part. some rain is going to be seen across the southern portions of

the uk, though. what this is going to be bringing is the risk of flooding. last week you saw very significant flooding here, and the ground is already stamp rated so you do not need any more rainfall coming across this yair. speaking of flooding, turkey, flashflooding, also at risk of a strong and severe storm system pushing across the country on your friday and going into the weekend. temperatures remain rather cold into the west, moscow, mais now 4 for your high, and 5 and 6 in london and paris starting off your weekend. now here's a look at your extended forecast. ♪

we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.